Leicester Chronicle and Mercury (21/Jul/1866) - Some Sanitary Specimens of Lockwood

The following is a transcription of a historic newspaper article and may contain occasional errors. If the article was published prior to 1 June 1957, then the text is likely in the Public Domain.

Some Sanitary Specimens of Lockwood.

Bethel Holroyd, of Netherton, the owner of a number of back to back cottages, in Victoria Street, Lockwood, was summoned before the Huddersfield magistrates, on Saturday, by some of the inhabitants, for permitting a nuisance to exist in some of the cellars of the cottages by not providing proper drains. Mr. Learoyd prosecuted. The question of dealing : with the nuisance had been before the Local Board of Lockwood for three months, but it was still allowed to exist. The evidence of Mr. Superintendent Heaton and others showed that in one cellar, occupied by Ann Bryan, there was a quantity of slush and dirty water, and the stench was very bad. In a cellar occupied by William Littlewood, there was slush on the floor several inches thick, and it was found that water leaked into the cellar when poured down the grid in the street. In a cellar occupied by Betty Byram, there was a drain under it, which was three inches deep in slush and dirty water, and there was an opening more than half an inch wide out of the drain into the cellar. The stench was described as something dreadful, causing the people to have their chamber windows open all the night, so as to get rid of it as much as possible. The defendant pleaded that the main drain was choked, and that he could not drain his houses into it. He was informed that if there were not proper main drains provided he must proceed against the Local Board. The bench fined him1Is. and costs, and gave him a week to remedy the nuisance, under the penalty of 10s. a day for each day it was allowed to continue after that period.